Study Finds 1 In 4 Parents Have Driven Without Buckling Up
Children

Affluent, educated and young parents are worst offenders

WASHINGTON--Sept. 16, 2013: As part of National Child Passenger Safety
Week (September 15-21), Safe Kids Worldwide today released "Buckle Up:
Every Ride, Every Time," a new study that finds an alarming percentage of
parents are not always taking the time to ensure their children are safely
secured in vehicles.

The report, funded as part of a $2 million grant from the General Motors
Foundation, is based on a national online survey of 1,002 parents and
caregivers of children ages 10 and under. It reveals that one in four
parents admit to having driven without their child buckled up in a car seat
or booster seat. In fact, more affluent parents, parents with higher levels
of education, and young parents are more likely to make exceptions when it
comes to buckling up their kids on every ride. Men were also more willing
than women to bend the rules.

"The number of children dying in car crashes has declined by 58 percent
since 1987 but this research shows that the trend toward buckling up kids
on every ride could be heading in the wrong direction," said Kate Carr,
president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide. "It only takes one time to be
riding in a vehicle without buckling up for a life to be changed forever.
During Child Passenger Safety week, we want to remind all parents that it's
important to buckle up their kids every time, on every ride."

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death to children. In 2011,
679 children ages 12 and under died in motor vehicle crashes. A third of
these children (221) were riding without a child safety seat or seat belt
that could have saved their lives. In addition, older children are more
often unrestrained in fatal car crashes compared to younger children.

"As kids grow up, it can be easy to forget the importance of taking time
to buckle up, especially on a quick or overnight trip," said Mike Robinson,
GM vice president of Sustainability and Global Regulatory Affairs, a GM
Foundation board member. "Unfortunately, exceptions can lead to tragedies.
The research findings underscore the importance of remaining vigilant about
buckling up throughout a child's lifetime. There is no reason important
enough to take the risk."

The report also highlights that when parents make exceptions it sends a
powerful message to kids that it's not important to buckle up on every
ride. As these kids get older, they could be more likely to find exceptions
for buckling up as well. Teenagers have the lowest rate of seat belt use of
all age groups.

Report Highlights

The survey asked parents if it was acceptable for a child to ride
unrestrained in a vehicle in certain circumstances, including driving a
short distance, if the car or booster seat was missing, during overnight
travel, as a reward for the child, or if they chose to hold the child in
their lap. The results were staggering.

Buckling Up on Short or Overnight Trips

Twenty-one percent of parents said it was acceptable to drive with their
child unrestrained if they are not driving far. However, 60 percent of
crashes involving children occur 10 minutes or less from home. Some parents
(16 percent) also feel it is acceptable to allow children to ride
unrestrained on overnight trips. However, this is the time period when
children are most likely to be injured in a crash. Twenty-three percent of
younger parents (ages 18-29) said it would be acceptable to ride with a
child unrestrained when traveling overnight compared to 13 percent of older
parents (ages 30-49). More than one in four (27 percent) younger parents
said it would be acceptable for short rides compared to 19 percent of older
parents.

Affluence

One in three of more affluent parents (34 percent), those with a
household income of $100,000 or higher, said it was acceptable to leave
their child unrestrained if they are not driving a far distance, compared
to 15 percent of parents making less than $35,000.

Education

Parents with graduate degrees are twice as likely to say it is
acceptable to drive without buckling up their children, compared to parents
with a high school education, particularly when they are in a rush (20
percent compared to 10 percent).

"Buckle Up: Every Ride, Every Time," provides recommendations for
improving laws around child passenger safety, including upgrading weaker
booster seat laws to cover children up to the age of eight, and renewing a
commitment to enforcing child passenger safety laws.

In addition, parents and caregivers are encouraged to follow three
safety strategies consistently:

Buckle up on every ride, every time Talk to the adults who will be
driving your kids about buckling them up Check that the right seat is used
and that it is installed properly

Child Passenger Safety Week culminates with National Seat Check Saturday
on September 21. Safe Kids will host more than 500 child seat inspections
across the country, offering guidance from certified Child Passenger Safety
Technicians on proper installation of child safety and booster seats.
Parents and caregivers can visit Safe Kids to locate an event in their
community.